A City in Flames
by Brennon Sithech
Summary: Leopold Sturnhammer, Storri Beerthrower, Urgrim Balstern and Urdafine Athelvine find themselves in a burning city of the Empire as all manner of evils pour forth to stamp out the humans forever.
1. The Fires of Combat

Leopold slammed the face of his hammer into the Orc climbing the temple steps. The blow smashed home and broke the barbarian things face, blood and shards of bone gushing forth. He growled and kicked the Orc from him, the lifeless body rolling down the steps and crashing into more of its kin, knocking them over and scattering a few. A minute's reprieve he thought, not long enough. The Orcs were pressing too fast, too strong.

"Back inside!" Leopold roared, yelling at the top of his voice, coarse with rage. "Sigmar protect you brothers! Inside the walls of the Temple!" He looked around, the others fighting with him disengaged from their fights and raced back up the steep steps to the large wooden door which even now was slowly closing.

A crazed, one eyed dwarf raced past Leopold and shouted with anger at him. "We're going the wrong bloody way human!" but ran up the steps none the less, taking them two at a time.

Leopold laughed, maybe the only time he had today. Storri always knew how to make him feel better even in the worst of situations. They had travelled the length and breadth of the Old World together, along with the other two of their company and had ended up in this Sigmar Forsaken place. He was glad of their company, but now he had more pressing matters. He blocked as a huge Orc swung its mighty choppa towards his face, the blow jarred him back and he tripped, landing hard on the steps. The edge of one jabbed into his side and he grimaced in pain. The Orc above him roared in triumph and raised the huge blade above its head for a killing blow.

Suddenly from no-where a flash of flame and a stink of sulphur filled the air. The Orc above Leopold looked down at its chest, now a bloody and burnt heap, a hole as big as a cannon shot right in the centre. It gurgled and collapsed backwards giving Leopold time to stand and run. He stooped and picked up the hammer and without another look sprinted up the steps. As he ran he risked a glance, ahead a tall, thin man cloaked all in reds and gold's sent jets of fire from his palms, creating a wall of panic for the defenders to escape quickly. As he passed he nodded to the wizard and dived through the near closed door with a clatter of his plate mail on the flagstone floor. The door closed with a slam.

"About time!" Storri said, scooping Leopold from the floor and banging his back, sending a cloud of dust rising into the air. "Thought we would have to send out a rescue party!" he laughed, showing broken and bloody teeth, the patch over his missing eye was loose too and looked disgusting in the dimmed light.

A second dwarf, who despite Storri's large orange spiked hair, looked strangely similar jogged over with a pair of rifles slung over his back.

"They have started to surround the back of the Temple as well Leopold" he said, ignoring the blood covered Storri and looking only at Leopold.

Storri turned and frowned "Come now cousin Urgrim, don't be grumpy with me." The crimson slayer growled.

Urgrim turned and was about to start but caught himself. "Bah, I wanted to be out on the front lines and you know it" he said somewhat deflated.

Storri banged a hand on Urgrim's hard and laughed. "That is a place for slayers my cousin, you should be atop with your guns and your powder, you will steal more kills than I this day"

The prospect of beating his cousin in combat seemed to cheer Urgrim somewhat and he returned to his conversation with Leopold quickly.

"Where is Urdafine?" Leopold said, looking at the closed temple doors.

With a flash and a smell which burnt the nostrils the wizard from the steps flashed into existence and stumbled forwards, panting.

"There we go" Leopold said, starting forwards and taking hold of the wizard shoulders. "Calm yourself Urdafine."

The thin man stood and took of his cloak revealing a thin, lithe frame, pointed elven ears and dressed in a rich crimson and gold robe.

"Thank you Leopold, the Orcs, they are pressing the attack. They have bought a shaman with them, one of their crazed spellcasters, the doors will not hold." He sat on the floor cross-legged and closed his eyes. "Please, a moment to concentrate while I recover, I spent all of my energy."

Urgrim sneered and rolled his eyes. "Bloody spell makers. Leopold, we have to find a way out of this place. Your God Sigmar might hold the doors for now but that shaman will surely bring this place down around our ears." He looked to his cousin who was standing by the nearest window looking out at the horde of Orcs surrounding the Temple. "And if we don't hurry up we're going to be trying to pull that idiot back from the brink again!"

Storri waved a hand behind him "Bah, I've fought more than this in my time".

Leopold looked around him, he would have to do something quickly. There were his three companions and him, and a rag tag group of soldiers he had manage to find wandering the burning streets. They were worse for ware, huddled in the corner and clutching their swords and shields so tight the white of their knuckles showed. He couldn't not rely on them to stand and fight if the door collapsed, he must find another way to get free from this place.

"What was the word from the others in the city?" Leopold said as dust began to fall from the ceiling, the thud of a battering ram on the door behind him. Storri held his axes in his hands and licked his lips.

Urgrim frowned and talked while loading rounds into his two large rifles. "They say Captain Oswald has lost the barracks and fallen back to the tavern district on the other side of town. He brings with him all the militia he can find and they say a regiment of the Knights of the White Wolf are with him." Urgrim grimaced a this "pity they are just as inclined to kill their own as they are the enemy"

"No time for bitterness now Urgrim" Leopold said, turning to the men sitting in the corner. "You, you three there, come here". The soldiers stood weakly and walked quickly to him. "I am Leopold Sturnhammer, you know me as your priest, the Warrior Priest of Sigmar and the Empire, and I would charge you with only tasks that are in the Emperors name" The three men shuffled uncomfortably "You must hold this door" his tone become sombre and dry.

Urgrim looked away and walked over to his brother. Urdafine opened one eye from his seat on the floor and stared at Leopold. The soldiers looked at each other.

"Bu, but we will surely die" one of the men said, terror in his eyes.

"Yes, you will" Leopold said, holding his shoulder. "But even the great people as Valten fall to become more than they are. Sigmar will give you a place higher than many others for your bravery." Leopold kept a straight face, but inside it tore him to make them do this.

The three soldiers nodded. Leopold slapped them on the shoulder and smiled grimly. "Sigmar will remember you this day"

He ushered them over to the door and nodded to Storri, Urgrim and Urdafine who walked towards him.

"They won't last a minute" Storri said, staring at the backs of the three men as they stood, shields towards the creaking wood.

"It's a minute we need" Leopold said flatly.

"I will stay and help" Urdafine said, pulling a thin book from his robes and flicking through.

"No" Leopold replied, "We will need you as we try and cross the city. They must stay, we, must go".

Urdafine started to protest but knew his friends mind was made up. He cast a gaze back to the men at the door, and sighed.

"Come, up the steps" Urgrim said, pushing them towards the rough cut stone stairs that led to the roof of the Temple.

They all took a look back towards the three soldiers, before climbing the stairs and emerging on the roof of the battered Sigmarite Temple. As they pushed through the wooden trap door and into the heat of the burning city they realised just how hard their task was going to be. The city was burning; whole districts alight with the enemies brand. Pockets of explosions and gunfire sounded in the streets around them, the remnants of the army trying desperately to make a last stand. Urgrim pointed to the south.

"There, beyond the graveyard and a stones throw from there is the tavern district, Captain Oswald could be there." He looked down off the roof to the street, Orcs clambering over each other to get at the door below.

Storri itched and twitched. "Come on, what are we doing, I need to get to the fighting before those White Wolf bastards take them all" he flexed his muscles.

Below a bang sounded and a roar of triumph from the Orcs sounded. The clash of swords and shields sounded and continued, the three men fought for their lives.

"They have given us time. Come now; let it not be in vain." Leopold jogged to the rear of the Temple and looked down, all the Orcs had run around the front now and it was clear below. "Urdafine, a spell if you will?"

The wizard nodded and started to chant. "Leap, now"

The three companions trusted their elven companion to the letter and did as they were told, jumping from the ramparts and hurtling towards the ground. As they neared it, a close four feet between them and crunched bones they stopped suddenly, hovering for a moment before landing on their feet gently. Urdafine followed, landing softly beside them.

The companions nodded and stared out to the stone roads before them.

"Which way?" Leopold said, looking for a clue.

"Just follow the fighting" Storri said, grinning.


	2. A Parting of Ways

"Look out below!"

Storri leapt out of the fourth floor window and landed hard on the cobbles. Behind him a pair of huge Orcs landed hard and grunted. He spun round on his feet and sliced into their knees with proficient strikes. Tendons snapped and their knee caps shattered, and the two giants collapsed to the floor howling in pain. Leopold, covered in gore and broken glass charged forwards and smashed his hammer down into ones face. The skull broke under the pressure and blood caked the ground. Urgrim aimed a pistol at the others and with a flash of musket powder sent a shot burrowing into its brain. It fell silent with a gout of blood splashing out onto the ground.

Urdafine clambered out of the window Storri had ejected from and rubbed his head. A bloody lump was growing there and he stumbled around.

"I told you you were too close elf!" Storri barked.

"No shouting, please" Urdafine said, muttering some spell under his breath and pressing his hand against the wound, before it healed quickly there and then.

Urgrim panted and reloaded his pistol. "Down the street, more of them, we have to keep moving."

Just as he said it a loud crack and a sucking came from behind them. They reeled round to see the entire face of one of the buildings blow outwards in a flash of fire and splinters. A whining sounded in their ears and they closed their eyes in pain. From the massive wound in the buildings side a group of armoured Orcs clambered followed by a hunched and staff wielding one. The hunched figure noticed the four adventurers and yelled in their guttural tongue. The armoured Orcs roared back in turn and raced towards them, their huge weapons held high and red eyes glinting from beneath their closed helms.

"That damn shaman!" Urdafine shouted "he must have followed us!"

Leopold looked past the large Orcs charging towards them and saw the shaman Orc had atop its staff three heads. He squinted to see, and felt an anger and sadness all at once fill him. The heads of the brave soldiers were tied by their hair to its top, grisly trophies and he did not want to think what else.

Storri raced past him as he looked and flung an axe towards the oncoming Orcs. The blade of it slammed home, cutting through their rusty armour and the number was reduced too three. Urgrim fired from where he stood, muttering about useless slayers and their annoying habits and took one clean in the head. The shot somehow found its way inside the eye slit of the creatures helmet and exploded from the back of it with a shower of blood and brains. The two remaining charged at Storri, surrounding him in a second and hacking at his squat form. Leopold looked to Urdafine, but the elf was firing bolts of energy over their heads towards the shaman still skulking in the ruins. The Warrior Priest growled and charged towards the Orcs. Storri had them both completely in his whirl of blades; he had retrieved his other and was now holding off one then the other with lightning precision. Leopold took the opportunity, however unhonourable it was to finish the one before him with a blow to the back of the skull. He turned the hammer round to its spiked end and with a careful blow smashed it right into the things skull and spine. The Orc body twitched and collapsed under its own weight. The other Orc, shocked by his companion's demise didn't see Storri aiming a well placed axe into its stomach. The gromril blade sliced through the things chainmail with ease and the Orc toppled backwards, its guts spilling out onto the cobbles.

A shout sounded from behind them, Urdafine was laughing and with both his hands dragging something through the air towards him. They looked up, the Orc shaman was suspended in the air, fighting against the spell Urdafine wove masterfully. Urgrim walked up to Leopold and Storri and aimed his rifle at the shaman.

"Should shoot the bastard greenskin now, shouldn't be keeping those rotten things alive."

Leopold put a hand on his rifle and shook his head. "Leave him to Urdafine, these spell casters are at odds with each other, would be best to leave them be, come, up here". He pointed to a ruined building. "We need a lay of the land."

Storri grunted and pointed to the blown out building. "I'll be with you in a moment friend, I smell goblins lurking in that hovel that need slaughtering."

Leopold nodded and walked off towards the crumbling ruin, the highest place in the street. Urgrim followed, watching as his cousin wove through debris into the smoking house. They climbed a rickety staircase, holding onto the holes in the walls for balance and finally found a sturdy surface, six floors high with which to look out over the streets before them. They had come further than they thought. Over to the south before them was the river and on the other side, the tavern district. Urgrim however, sighed.

"We'll never cross that" he said, pointing down to the street on their side. A mass of Orcs was arrayed on the cobble streets looking to a huge giant carrying a massive stone.

"What in Sigmar's name is that giant doing?" Leopold said, watching in amazement as the lumbering mass carried the huge rock on its shoulder towards the river.

"He's bridging the gap, look." Urgrim pointed to the left and right of the giant's position. "Oswald has blown the bridges that lead to the quarter, in an effort to keep at least some semblance of order. Looks like it won't last long."

As he finished the giant roared and lowered the huge rock into the river. It splashed down with a sound like thunder before coming to rest, water flowing around it in a white froth. Orcs and goblins, troll, ogres, and all manner of beasts rushed towards the rock and the other side.

"We must get to Oswald before the Orcs get to him first, somehow!" Leopold slammed his gauntleted fist into the wall; plaster came off in a clump.

"There's no way we can do that lad" Urgrim said, watching as the Orcs flooded into the tavern district, the bobbing lights of their brands showing in the dusk.

Leopold scolded himself, but he knew he didn't have too, it wasn't his fault, it wasn't anyone's apart from these bastard Orcs. He looked behind him, Urdafine's eyes were blood red and smoke was rising from a twitching Orc body before him, Storri had returned covered in more gore than he had left, both seemed happy. An idea came into his mind, even amidst all this violence and fire. He clambered down from the house and ran over to Urdafine, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Stop, stop!" he said, breaking Urdafine out of his trance and instead grabbing the Orc shaman's throat and slamming the smouldering beast against the nearest wall. Urgrim and Storri rushed over concerned looks on their faces.

"What's going on Leopold?" Storri said, looking to his cousin as well.

"Giants, Orcs, trolls…more than you could imagine cousin" Urgrim said, but putting a hand on his shoulder at the same time. "But not ones you want to find your doom with"

Storri grumbled and kicked a large rock on the floor.

"You, Orc fiend, get us over the river, now, if you value your miserable life" Leopold tightened the strangle hold on the grisly things neck.

Urdafine raised an eyebrow. "You want THIS to take us over the river? I could do the same if you give me half an hour to rest"

"There is no time" Leopold said "The orcs already pour over there as we speak and I must warn Oswald." He turned back to the Orc and glared into its red eyes. "Do this for me and I will grant you your life fiend" he said through gritted teeth.

The Orc nodded quickly and fought through the grip to get loose, its hunched form loping into the middle of the group of them scared.

"Can we trust this thing?" Urdafine said, still preferring to fry the bastard where he stood.

"We have too" Leopold said, to disapproving looks from Storri and Urgrim.

The Orc began to chant, a green mist flowed around them and all looked on nervously. Urgrim kept his rifle trained on the Orc at all times as they were raised into the air with the shaman and then with a flash of green they were gone. A minute later they arrived in a burning building, the wood falling down around their ears. Storri dived to the side, leaping away from a falling piece of masonry and swore loudly in his own tongue. The Orc made a dash for it, limping through the ruins of the house in an effort to escape before they regained their senses but Urgrim was quicker.

"I don't think so you greenskin scumbag!" he said as he levelled his rifle and took a shot at the fleeing runt. The round found its mark, and the cloaked warlock collapsed in a heap.

Around him the others stood and shook the magic from their heads. With a look which all understood they ran out of the building as quickly as they could, and found themselves in a somewhat un-cluttered and untouched street. It seemed odd for there to be no-one around after the horrors of the rest of the city, but it was welcome none the less. Catching their breath they shouldered their weapons and walked down the road. There were sounds of battle, but they were muffled by the high houses. Storri went in front and walked briskly to the turn at the end of the street.

"The place is deserted" he said as they came closer. "Not a soul about. Are you sure this is the place Urgrim?" he asked "this feels like a completely new city".

Urgrim walked over and jabbed him in the shoulder "I am bloody right, if we're lost it's that ruddy shaman!" he shouted.

"Hush" Urdafine said, scowling and holding up his hand for silence. "I hear something"

They all stopped and listened, pricking their ears for something. It didn't sound at first, but slowly it came into hearing, the dull thud of boots on the stones, and it was getting louder, and coming closer.

"Orcs?" Storri said a glint in his eye.

"No" Urdafine replied quickly "much to light to be orcs, I think human."

Leopold walked out into the road before them, the others followed. He looked at them all, they didn't half look odd. Storri's crest of hair was flopped over and he was covered in blood and cuts. Urgrim had about half a dozen guns and pistols strapped too him, and Urdafine, well, he was an elf in the city of the Empire. Leopold didn't look too good either, but at least he could pass for his profession. As he contemplated their appearance it became too later, a column of spearmen with grim set faces marched towards them double time, at the head of them half a dozen knights clad in thick furs and at their head, a bald man in barely fitting armour carrying a human sized sword over his shoulder. As they neared Leopold stepped forwards, and ahead the knights and their leader did too, telling the spearmen behind to stop.

Urgrim gritted his teeth. "Bloody bastard White Wolves, will show them a thing or two if they try for a fight"

"Calm yourself" Leopold said quickly as they came within hearing distance.

"Ah my favourite priest!" Oswald said, putting a hand out to greet Leopold "I hardly recognised you through all the blood and burnt parts." The captain examined him and his motley crew. "I heard you were in the old town fighting at the Temple, how did you get here?"

Leopold forwent the mention of the Orc traveller and instead told him they had crossed the bridge before the detonations had taken place. The old man was ready to believe this regardless, the White Wolves however were not, and they glared at the four as if they had insulted the Emperor himself.

"What is it you want from me Brother Leopold?" he pointed to the men behind him "I bring more reinforcements to bolster our makeshift fort in the centre of the district.

"Orcs" Leopold said "Many of them, with a giant in tow. They have crossed the river and are heading for the centre of the district just as we speak."

One of the White Wolves, a man clad in armour stained with blood, a thick white beard framing his face and coal black eyes looked down at Leopold with a glare. "That's impossible, we blew the bridges" he placed a hand on the sword by his side.

Urgrim flinched and pulled one of the pistols from the belt across his chest and aimed it square at the knight's face. "Don't be accusing us now manling, for all your armour my bullets will still take your head from your shoulders"

Storri gripped his axes tighter and stood stockier before Leopold. "Ai! if you be thinking of not liking our knowledge and dying at the hands of greenskins then let it be, but don't be drawing your sword or you'll have a slayer to deal with". The visage of the one eyed mad dwarf was enough to make Oswald and most of the knights back of save the one with his hand upon the sword hilt.

Oswald gulped awkwardly and stepped between them "Now, let us calm." He turned to Leopold "Sturnhammer, I trust your judgement in this, and you, Ulthen should listen to him, Leopold is a priest of Sigmar"

Ulthen, the knight stood before them growled and let the sword slide back into the scabbard by his side. He muttered something about 'bloody bastard dwarves' and turned back to his fellows without another word. Just as he did however the ground began to shake. Oswald blanched white and looked over the four's shoulders into the once vacant streets. They all turned, including the knights and the spearmen behind them and stared as a mass of Orcs, goblins, trolls and other foul creatures roared down the street towards them.

"Too arms!" Oswald shouted, the disciplined ranks of spearman fell into a thick line across the street and bought their spears to bear. Leopold, Storri, Urgrim and Urdafine, as well as the knights of the White Wolf pushed through the line of soldiers and got to the back with Oswald and his second in command, a young squire named Dwind.

The spearmen four ranks behind them roared and chanted and the feeling of the Orc line smashing into their own sent all of the humans back a step. The fighting became vicious and brutal, those who did not pay attention being cut down, broken and trampled. But, the line held.

Oswald turned to Dwind and the four companions. "We will hold the Orc here, you must take Dwind with you and retreat to the Inn in the centre of town, The Rotton Mule. The rest of the army is stationed around and in it and they must be alerted."

Storri twitched. "I will stay too" he declared, clashing his axes together and licking his lips.

Urgrim growled "Bloody hell, that means I have to stay too you idiot!" he took two pistols from their holsters and checked the shot.

Leopold and Urdafine looked too each other. "Guess that means we're parting ways for a bit" Leopold said, nodding to Urdafine.

"We will have to run there, but I can teleport us back, don't worry my friends" he smiled.

Storri and Urgrim nodded, in typical dwarvish fashion they didn't show any emotion but pushed through the crowd of spearmen and bellowed war-cries in their native tongue. Ulthen, the head of the White Wolves stepped forwards and pulled his sword free from its scabbard.

"We go too Oswald, we cannot have a dwarf and his cousin outdoing us" with his men they too joined the ranks and fought their way to the front.

Oswald pulled his own sword free and nodded too Leopold, his squire, and Urdafine. "Take Dwind with you, that way they will know you are sent by me"

With that, the companions split ways, the battle raging and the district beginning to be licked by the flames of war.


	3. The Smallest of Foes

Storri bellowed and chopped this way and that with his axes. Rivers of blood flowed below his feet, and he was having trouble keeping his footing on the mound of Orc bodies below his feet. He was covered in wounds, cuts so deep they would have felled a human. An Orc lunged at him, swinging its choppa towards his legs to bring him down, but Storri was quicker. He shattered the Orc's choppa in two then bought the second of his axes down on the things skull. The blow cleaved the head in two, it splitting apart as brains spilled out over the other blood covered bodies.

"Come now cousin Urgrim!" the slayer shouted, "there is plenty for the both of us!" he looked below at his cousin fighting against a huge troll.

Urgrim panted and rolled aside, aiming one of his pistols into the hideous beasts face and letting a shot ring out before him. The troll reared backwards, black blood spewing forth from the wound. Urgrim laughed and pulled a powder bomb from his belt, stuffed it into the hole he had made with the gunshot and ducked under flaying arms, diving towards his slayer cousin. With a crack and a bang the troll went rent apart. A shower of flesh and organs flew into the air, sending those around the troll to the floor holding their ears.

"Well done haha!" Storri shouted, pulling his cousin up from the bodies and shaking him off.

Around them the battle was in the balance. The spearmen and the knights had fought themselves into a pocket of resistance, the wounded in the middle firing arrow and shot over the heads of those manning the defensive circle. Storri and Urgrim were too the right of it, atop a mound of the dead, even the larger Orcs were now becoming afraid of climbing the mound and facing his axes. Oswald shouted orders and hacked through Orcs with his men around him, swinging the greatsword through three, four at a time. Ulthen and his White Wolves had pulled back into the centre of the ring, four of their number sporting mortal wounds. Ulthen himself was fine, not a scratch on him and yet still caked in blood and gore.

"We will not hold out long" Ulthen said, dragging Oswald over too him and sending a glare towards the mound where the dwarves fought.

Oswald panted for breath "But, we…must…hold here!" he said, watching as a pair of trolls grabbed into the line of spearmen and pulled a handful into the air, crushing them in an instant.

Ulthen shouted an order and a pair of his knights waded towards the trolls, swinging their hammers and chanting Ulric's name. But even as the brave knights fought their way into the swirling melee a thudding boom sounded and the ground shook. Those in the middle, the wounded, the dying looked up and blanched. The giant, the lumbering beast which had placed the stone across the river smashed its way through the taverns to the right of the street and waded through fleeing Orcs towards the spearmen, its gigantic club held over its head.

Oswald gulped and steeled himself. Ulthen too growled and made the sign of Sigmar on his chest.

"May those two get back here soon, we won't last the night".

*

Leopold and Urdafine ran down the street, breathless and fighting against burning muscles. Ahead of them the squire Dwind shouted and beckoned for them to hurry up.

"How is that child so fast?" Urdafine panted, even his elven limbs hurting from the running.

"Sigmar blesses his feet with leather soles and muscles with wood" driven by a desire to help his kin, an admirable quality.

Urdafine cocked and eyebrow before standing again and running after the boy, Leopold following behind as his plate armour clanked and made him sweat within it. They carried on in this fashion for ten more minutes, following Dwind through alleyways, down muddy back roads until finally they found themselves a few hundred metres from the camp and the Inn of The Rotten Mule. Dwind had finally stopped to catch his breath stood to greet the elf and human as they ran round the corner, nearly bumping into him.

Leopold nodded and wheezed. "Finally, here, no more damnable running!" He was about to stand when he felt a hand on his shoulder and felt himself dragged down to the floor with a slam.

The sound of arrows whizzed in the air above him and he watched as their shafts thudded into the wall behind him. Two however found a different mark. Leopold looked up from the dirt at Dwind, two arrows stuck fast into his chest plate, blood trickling down his green tabard. The young squire's eyes were wide with terror as he fell to his knees. Urdafine ran too him, holding his body and staring back behind him, whispering a spell and watching a magical shield appear around the three of them. Leopold stood and pulled the hammer from his side and ran towards the source of the arrows. He ducked more arrows, forgetting the words of Urdafine behind him and focused on the red glint of eyes coming from the ruins of an old house. Damn Goblins, they had followed them the whole way here, and now the poor lad was dying despite his faith and strength of will.

The goblins, fearless with their numbers leapt from the darkness and with chattering words of vice went for him. Leopold roared and kicked the first coming towards him. The goblin doubled over, dropping its little dagger and fell to the floor in a clump. Leopold smashed the hammer into its spine and made the once goblin a mess now on the cobbles. Two more scrabbled up Leopold's back as he hefted his hammer from the ruined goblin corpse. They stabbed down at him with rusty daggers, the blade chinking off of his plate armour, Leopold moving just enough to stop them getting to his exposed neck. He reached behind him and grabbed the ear of one, tugging the goblin off him and holding it in the air, swinging the hammer into its head and crackling the things spine to pieces. The other goblin on his back found a weak point and slid the dagger into his side. Leopold yelled in pain and shook the creature off, bringing his boot down on its face and crushing it before him. He winced at the dagger in his side and yanked it out, swearing through the pain as blood gushed from the wound, the last of the goblins, four of them, stalked towards him, cruel daggers drawn and licking their lips at his bloody wound. A blast of fire passed over his head, and engulfed the goblins that, surprised, panicked as their robes caught light and rolled around as the eldritch fire licked at their flesh. Urdafine strode past him and let a gout of fire flash from his hands, sending the goblins sprawling in mangled heaps. He pressed a flaming hand against Leopold's side and with a stench of burning flesh cauterised the wound.

"Blasted hell!" Leopold said "Sigmar be damned these foul creatures!"

Urdafine looked to the burning corpses and then behind him the body of Dwind, they had hardly known the boy. "I could not save him, his life gave out too quick" he hung his head.

Leopold winced and used his hammer for support. "You could not have done anything Urdafine, we must press on."

As the two of them walked past the body of Dwind it hurt to leave him, so close to their goal. They would tell the guards when they arrived. Hobbling the rest of the way, keeping an eye peeled in all directions for any more of the ambushing forces they neared the tavern and the town square. As they walked past training soldiers, milling townspeople, old men telling war stories and the general quiet of the place Leopold looked everywhere for the man in charge, someone of office. It didn't take them long. In the middle of it all was a long table, covered in maps of the city and surrounded by a plethora of shouting generals and captains. One of them looked up as the bloody priest and his elven ally walked towards them.

"Who goes there" he said, calling two guards from beside him who walked forwards with swords drawn.

"We have news" Urdafine said grimly. "Dire news"

*

The Orcs had retreated now, the giant was making its mark and that's all that mattered to them. What was left of the spearmen, and the knights were desperately ducking and diving around its massive swings, avoiding its huge feet and sending spears flying towards it, hacking at its legs to try and bring it down. The two dwarves however were having much more fun. Being accustomed to fighting giants they were in their element. Urgrim stood back, out of range of its swings and fired his rifle in controlled bursts at the giants face, trying to hit it in its eyes and blind the thing. Storri was on the beast himself, his axes wedged into its arm and climbing up it, laughing like a maniac as he did.

Urgrim shouted from below "It's out! The eye it out!" before turning and running away as the giant lunged for him with its huge hands.

Storri glanced with his one good eye at the bloody stream of crimson dripping from one of the giants ruined eyes and wrenched one of the axes free. With a bellow of dwarven curses he leapt from the giants arm and sunk his axe into the huge cheeks of the creature. It bit deep, cutting into the soft flesh. Storri held on for dear life and instead with great strength swung a punch at the giant's eye socket. The punch connected, a howl of pain which made the air shake sounded and the giant stumbled around backwards, it swung a meaty hand towards Storri in an effort to get him off. Storri however had it all planned out. As the giants punch came towards him he loosed his axe and dropped, flying towards the ground some twenty feet below. He landed with a crack and rolled down Orc and human bodies alike and watched, still laughing as the giant punched itself in the jaw. With a sickening crunch the giants jaw shattered, blood spraying from its nose. It stumbled a little more, the danger of it falling growing every second.

Oswald shouted loudly so all could hear "Take its legs! Cut the tendons!" he raced forwards with a group of soldiers and they began hacking at the giants legs, chopping at its flesh. The giant didn't even respond.

With a sound like a tree falling, the giant creaked on its bones and started to fall. It crashed backwards, falling through the ruins of buildings and settled in a cloud of dust and shattered stone. The defenders cheered, turning and gathering together, weapons still drawn. Urgrim ran to where Storri was, a bloody mess with a large bone jutting out of his left arm. The slayer laughed even then and struggled to his feet as his cousin neared.

"You reckless fool!" Urgrim said, supporting him and shouting around for some help.

"Haha, all in a days work cousin! Just a shame the damn dumb beast did not kill me!" Storri spat out two teeth and gripped his arm. "Bloody hurts that" he said, wincing a little.

"Should think so!" Urgrim growled, as a pair of soldiers and Oswald ran over, Ulthen the White Wolf behind him.

"Where are the rest of the greenskin bastards?" Storri asked, looking around as he saw the spearmen sitting down, resting and catching their breath.

Oswald was about to talk when Ulthen interjected. "They routed, turned round and ran into the streets. They may have fled from us but that means the others are in danger, Orcs, Goblins, Trolls, all manner of creatures are loose in the streets and will fight to the death, kill all they find, like a dog trapped they will be deadly." He turned with this and walked to his own men, only a handful left.

Oswald glared at him before turning to the two dwarves, one of his men was holding Storri's arm but couldn't quite work out how to fix it. Storri could tell this and was trying to wrench it free of the human.

"I hope that your friend have been able to warn the others" Oswald said, looking at the bloody ruin around them. Bodies lain everywhere, Orc and human, the houses around the street burnt and ruined.

"They will" Urgrim said sternly, "They will honour their part of the task, but it seems that they will have more than they bargained for if these Orcs have truly gone ransacking.

Oswald nodded. "We will give the men a few moments rest then be on our way, we must follow the trail of destruction and help those who still dwell in the town centre."

With a flash and a familiar stench Leopold, holding his side, bandaged up, stood with Urdafine before them. Neither Urgrim nor Storri seemed surprised at this, only the men at Oswald's side yelled and retreated from the spell caster and priest as they smoked with magic.

"The rest of the army is warned" Leopold said, gasping for breath and using his hammer for support. "They gather their forces and prepare to fight."

"The Orc have split and gone raiding, they fill the streets with their kind and hide in buildings, ready to ambush, it will much harder now to remove them from the district." Oswald said, sighing.

Urdafine looked to the fallen giant and the mass of bodies around the street and houses. "It seems we have already bested them once, with their dwindled numbers in such pockets we should be able to hunt and kill all that are left."

Urgrim and Storri walked forwards "We will take the lead, find and destroy these greenskins before the day is out" Storri growled, annoyed that he only had the use of one of his arms.

Oswald looked at them with an anxious look upon his face. "I fear not master dwarf." Storri glowed bright red at this order.

"They are my ancestors enemies and I will be damned if I let any of them get away!" he yelled.

Urgrim joined him in his jostling and swearing and the two dwarves with beards bristling approached the old captain. Leopold held a hand up and waved them back, still wincing.

"Let the Captain speak" he said "actions before words have never helped anyone, dwarves should know this best" he frowned at the pair.

With a disenchanted grumble they settled back and glared at the human commander who with a gulp continued.

"We need your help with something else good sirs." He noticed Storri's once glaring eye had become inquisitive. "There is a manor house, across the river in the upper class part of the city which we must get too. Inside are the Elector Count's daughter and the rest of his family"

Urdafine looked at the burning buildings around him and the destruction. "I do not think anyone without military training will have survived this onslaught, they will be either fled, or dead I am certain".

Oswald's hopeful face became full of dismay "We must try, none the less. If they live I could not bare knowing that we could have gone and saved them from whatever denizens dwell in that place now, there are worse than Orcs in this city I fear"

Leopold's interest perked. He had little want to go on a wild goose chance looking for a family that could be dead, however noble the cause. Sigmar will have spared them, or taken them into his arms, but something about the captain's words spoke of something more, something deeper.

"What do you mean Oswald, what others do you believe dwell here?" he stood and watched as the faces of even the soldiers around Oswald became shifty.

Oswald spoke first "It is heresy to mention them Leopold, if a Witch Hunter were to find out we would surely be dead."

"Well you speak to a servant of Sigmar now do you not?" Leopold said "higher than that group of renegade charlatans, your words are safe with me"

One of the soldiers interjected quickly, his word more of a garbled word of worry than a statement "Skkk..Skaven!" he yelped.

Storri and Urgrim looked at each other and a glint filled their eyes. The ratmen were a fearsome enemy of the dwarves, having overrun their holds and driven many of their kind from the tunnels they were born in. Almost as hated as the damn greenskins.

"You believe in their existence?" Urdafine said, his mind too was filled with knowledge of the ratkin and their ways, having experienced their shadowy touch on more than one occasion.

The soldier turned to Oswald who took over "We have met the fiends, and told not to say a word by Ulthen and his White Wolves. They say it was a trick of the mind, mutants, nothing more, but we know better and saw them with out own eyes."

Leopold nodded "We believe you Oswald, we know of the ratkin and their kind, what they are capable of. It surprised me that we did not see any of them in the city until now, but you say they will be in the upper class district?"

"Yes, most assuredly. We met them there only two days ago in the sewers, lost four of my best men to their damn assassins."

"Then we must help the Count's daughter." Leopold said quickly "If I know these fiends they will have kept her safe, but not for a reason as honourable as protecting a maiden, they will use her for their own schemes. You are right Oswald, with your leave we will go now, fight our way too the district and secure the family"

Oswald nodded. "I will make sure Ulthen does not know, quick you must go now yes" he turned to his men and ushered them away "good luck my friends"

Leopold took Oswald's shoulder as he turned to go "When I return we must speak of Dwind"

Oswald shook his head "Do not worry yourself Leopold, I already know, I felt it when he did not return with you. Do not fear, he died in Sigmar's name and will have accepted his end."

With that he moved away, the four companions reunited trudged into a ruined building and made their way back towards the river.

"Now fix my damn arm elf-boy" Storri grumbled.


End file.
